Mar 23, 2021
Location: Shahbag, Dhaka, Bangladesh, South Asia.
This gentleman is the smartest jhal muri maker in the world. He regularly sells jhal muri in Shahbag, Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. He has already gained a considerable reputation as a smart jhal muri maker.
People were at first surprised to see jhal muri selling after a suit tie like doing such a corporate office every day. But his vision is very clear. He is selling this jhal muri as a smart business. So why not have the smartness of clothing?
Our today’s documentary is about this smart seller of Bangladesh. Note that he is also a king of jhal muri maker in our eyes.
Bangladesh,[b] officially the People’s Republic of Bangladesh,[c] is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world with a population of almost 180 million within an area of 148,461 square kilometres (57,321 sq mi).[20][21] Bangladesh shares land borders with India to the north, west, and east, and Myanmar to the southeast. It has a coastline along the Bay of Bengal to its south and is separated from Bhutan and Nepal by the Siliguri Corridor, and from China by the Indian states of West Bengal and Sikkim to its north. Dhaka, the capital and largest city, is the nation’s political, financial, and cultural centre. Chittagong is the second-largest city and the busiest port of the country.
Etymology
Main article: Names of Bengal
The etymology of Bangladesh (“Bengali country”) can be traced to the early 20th century, when Bengali patriotic songs, such as Aaji Bangladesher Hridoy by Rabindranath Tagore and Namo Namo Namo Bangladesh Momo by Kazi Nazrul Islam, used the term in 1905 and 1932 respectively.[27] Starting in the 1950s, Bengali nationalists used the term in political rallies in East Pakistan.
The term Bangla can refer to both the Bengal region and the Bengali language. The origins of the term Bangla are unclear, with theories pointing to a Bronze Age proto-Dravidian tribe,[28] and the Iron Age Vanga Kingdom.[29] The earliest known usage of the term is the Nesari plate in 805 AD. The term Vangala Desa is found in 11th-century South Indian records.[30][31] The term gained official status during the Sultanate of Bengal in the 14th century.[32][33] Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah proclaimed himself as the first “Shah of Bangala” in 1342.[32] The word Bangāl became the most common name for the region during the Islamic period.[34] Sixteenth century historian Abu’l-Fazl ibn Mubarak mentions in his Ain-i-Akbari that the addition of the suffix “al” came from the fact that the ancient rajahs of the land raised mounds of earth in lowlands at the foot of the hills which were called “al”.[35] This is also mentioned in Ghulam Husain Salim’s Riyaz-us-Salatin.[36]
The Indo-Aryan suffix Desh is derived from the Sanskrit word deśha, which means “land” or “country”. Hence, the name Bangladesh means “Land of Bengal” or “Country of Bengal”.[31]
Literature
Main article: Bengali literature
Kazi Nazrul Islam in Chittagong, c. 1926, the national poet of Bangladesh.[353]
Humayun Ahmed (left), a popular author and filmmaker
Bengali literature forms an important part of Bengali culture. The Charyapada poems dating back to the 10th to 12th centuries are the oldest extant examples of the Bengali language.[354]: 40 During the Bengal Sultanate, medieval Bengali writers were influenced by Arabic and Persian literature.[355] Milestones of the medieval age include the Mangal-Kāvyas.[356] The Vaishnava Padavali movement was led by writers such as Vidyapati, Chandidas, Govindadas and Balarama Dasa. Shreekrishna Kirtana written by Chandidas marked a particular height of poetic achievement since the Charyapadas.[356] Other important works include Krittibas Ojha’s translation of the Ramayana, Kashiram Das’ translation of the Mahabharata, and Maladhar Basu’s translation of the Bhagavata.[356] Writers such as Bipradas Pipilai,[357]: 349 Vijay Gupta,[358]: 104 Shah Muhammad Sagir, Zainuddin and Abdul Hakim were important figures.[356] Alaol, considered a bard, is a prolific poet of medieval period.[356]
The Bengal Renaissance from the late 18th century to the early 20th century had a profound effect on modern Bengali literature. Michael Madhusudan Dutt invented the blank verse in Bengali literature.[359] Mir Mosharraf Hossain was the first prominent Bengali Muslim writer.[360] Lalon, a fakir practising Sufism and sādhanā influenced the bauls.[361] Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote about the characteristics of the Bengali society.[362]
Architecture
Main article: Architecture of Bangladesh
Further information: Architecture of Bengal and List of archaeological sites in Bangladesh
Somapura Mahavihara in Naogaon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Sixty Dome Mosque in Bagerhat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Ahsan Manzil in Old Dhaka
The architecture of Bangladesh is intertwined with that of the Bengal region and the broader Indian subcontinent. It is influenced by the country’s culture, religion and history.[378] Hindu and Buddhist architectural remnants have been found in Mahasthangarh, which dates back to the 3rd century BCE.[379]: 157 Nandipada and Swastika symbols have been found on stone querns in the Wari-Bateshwar ruins, which indicate the presence of Hinduism in the area during the Iron Age—from 400 to 100 BCE.[380] The Somapura Mahavihara built under the rule of the Buddhist Pala Empire in the 8th century is a notable example of the pre-Islamic era.[381] Other Buddhist vihāras include Shalban Bihar in Mainamati and Bikrampur Vihara in Bikrampur.[379]: 164–167 Recent excavations have also uncovered new evidence of pre-Islamic smaller temples which served the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain populations of the area.[382] Indo-Islamic architecture can be seen from the 13th century, especially in the distinctive mosque architecture of the Bengal Sultanate, an example being the Sixty Dome Mosque among others in the Mosque City of Bagerhat—which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[383][382]
Mughal Bengal saw the spread of Mughal architecture in the region. Examples in Dhaka include the Bara Katra and Choto Katra in Old Dhaka, the Sat Gambuj Mosque in Mohammadpur and the Musa Khan Mosque in Curzon Hall.[384][385] Notable Mughal-era forts include the Lalbagh Fort in Old Dhaka, the Idrakpur Fort in Munshiganj—and the Hajiganj Fort and the Sonakanda Fort in Narayanganj, respectively.[386] The Kantajew Temple and Dhakeshwari Temple are examples of late medieval Hindu temple architecture.[387][388] Bengali vernacular architecture is noted for pioneering the bungalow.[389] Panam Nagar in Sonargaon exhibits architectural influence from the Sultanate, Mughal, British and hybrid colonial traditions.[390]: 22 Indo-Saracenic architecture flourished during the British Raj,[391] examples include the Curzon Hall of the University of Dhaka, the Chittagong Court Building, Rangpur Town Hall and Rajshahi College. The zamindar gentry built many palaces in the latter style, including the Ahsan Manzil, the Baliati Zamnidar Bari, the Tajhat Palace, the Rose Garden Palace, the Dighapatia Palace, the Puthia Rajbari, Natore Rajbari and the Mohera Zamindar Bari. Muzharul Islam is considered to be a pioneer of modernist movement in Bangladesh and South Asia.[392] Louis Kahn is a notable foreign architect who designed the National Parliament Building in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.[393]
